The Pathology Core enables City of Hope Cancer Center investigators to directly study the DNA, RNA and protein in human tumors to validate specific hypotheses generated from pre-clinical studies. It also provides analyses of specific protein expression in tumor tissues to enable scientists to discern the distribution patterns of these proteins in specific cell types. The Pathology Core provides services primarily in the areas of expertise of the members of the Department of Anatomic Pathology. They fall into the following areas: (1) performance and assistance in the routine histological processing of tissues, including paraffin embedding, sectioning, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of human tissue, animal tissue, and preparations from cell lines, as well as specialized histological services such as preparation of multi-tumor blocks or tissue arrays to the specifications o1 the researchers; (2) performance and interpretation of immunohistochemistry for the detection of cell products in normal and disease states, including evaluation and technical development of new antibodies as well as the technology to detect multiple antigens in the same histological section; (3) performance and assistance in Laser Capture Microdissection from paraffin or frozen sections to obtain enrichment of specific cell types, including isolation of malignant cells, for the analysis of proteins, RNA and/or DNA content; (4) performance and assistance in preparing formalin-fixed tissues for conventional PCR including RT-PCR; and (5) consultation services to Cancer Center investigators. Expertise in the pathological basis of disease, the histological manifestations of disease, and the use of human tissues for studying disease states is available for the preparation of grants and papers and in the design of experiments. During the prior 12 month reporting period, the Pathology Core provided service to 33 Cancer Center members from all five Research Programs and one non-aligned member. Peer-reviewed usage accounted for 69% of usage during this same reporting period. The proposed annual budget for the core is $406,308, with 28% from the institution, 32% from user fees, and 40% ($160,982) requested from the CCSG.